Journalism in the Public Interest

ProPublica analyzed federal education data from the 2009-2010 school year to examine whether states provide high-poverty schools equal access to advanced courses and special programs that researchers say will help them later in life. This is the first nationwide picture of exactly which courses are being taken at which schools and districts across the country. More than three-quarters of all public school children are represented. Read our story and our methodology.

Trenton Central High Chambers, part of the Trenton district, is located in Trenton, New Jersey. The school reports enrolling 1,725 students in grades nine through 12, and it has 136 teachers on staff.

Trenton Central High Chambers is above the state average but below the district average in terms of the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. On average, 35 percent of students in New Jersey are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch programs, whereas 58 percent of Trenton Central High Chambers students do. At the district level, 76 percent of students are eligible.

ProPublica's analysis found that all too often, states and schools provide poor students fewer educational programs like Advanced Placement, gifted and talented programs, and advanced math and science classes. Studies have linked participation in these programs with better outcomes later in life. Our analysis uses free and reduced-price lunch to estimate poverty at schools. We based our findings on the most comprehensive data set of access to advanced classes and special programs in U.S. public schools — known as the Civil Rights Data Set— released by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Trenton Central High Chambers offers three AP courses, and 2 percent of students participate in those classes.

Trenton Central High Chambers has an enrollment rate of 4 percent for advanced math classes, and 13 percent of students take chemistry. The enrollment rate for physics at the school is 2 percent.

Millburn Sr High, in Millburn, New Jersey, is a lower-poverty school than Trenton Central High Chambers, with 1 percent of its students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school offers 27 AP courses, and 72 percent of students are enrolled in those classs.

These data points were reported by schools and districts to the Office for Civil Rights. For more information about the data, see our full methodology.